Europe unprepared for rapidly growing climate risks, report finds

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Guardian or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released its first risk assessment, highlighting that Europe is underprepared for the escalating climate risks it faces
• The assessment identifies 36 significant climate risks, with half requiring more action and five demanding urgent intervention

🔭 The context: The report evaluates the severity of climate threats against Europe's readiness to address them, pinpointing heat stress, floods, the health of coastal and marine ecosystems, and the need for disaster recovery funds as areas where the risks are accelerating due to fossil fuel emissions

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Europe, warming at twice the global average rate since the Industrial Revolution, faces urgent and growing climate risks 
• The report's findings stress the need for rapid and comprehensive adaptation measures to mitigate these risks and protect ecosystems, economies, and communities

⏭️ What's next: The EEA urges immediate action to prevent most climate risks from reaching critical or catastrophic levels by century's end 
• This call to action emphasizes the importance of enhancing societal preparedness and adapting policies to the pace of climate change

💬 One quote: “Our new analysis shows that Europe faces urgent climate risks that are growing faster than our societal preparedness,” said Leena Ylä-Mononen, the EEA’s executive director

📈 One stat: Europe has heated up more than any other continent since the Industrial Revolution, approximately twice as fast as the global average

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